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daily pain management

5K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Maverick101 
#1 ·
I bought some B-L Pellets for my old black horse. I picked up something like Asperease but the lady at the tack shop talked me out of it and said B-L Pellets were what worked best for her older horses so I figured I'd try it.

It's only been 2 days so I have seen no difference.
What are some suggestions I could try? He's looking pretty miserable these days.
 
#3 ·
Oral supplements do not work.
The molecules are too large to be absorbed through the horse's digestion system into their body, it all ends up on the ground.
The best way to treat an older horse's arthritis is with monthly IV Legend and IM Adequan. You may need to do some loading doses of Adequan depending on the severity of the arthritis.
You should talk to your vet about pain management, not some lady at the feed store.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
Oral supplements do not work.
The molecules are too large to be absorbed through the horse's digestion system into their body, it all ends up on the ground.
The best way to treat an older horse's arthritis is with monthly IV Legend and IM Adequan. You may need to do some loading doses of Adequan depending on the severity of the arthritis.
You should talk to your vet about pain management, not some lady at the feed store.

Good luck!
What would I be looking at cost wise? (In addition to my farm call which would be $75 and then I would assume an exam fee would be around $25 - so the drugs how much for them?)
 
#5 ·
i use the generic version of IM adequan, it works really well & costs about $13 a dose. if you want to use that your vet doesnt even need to come out, but you should talk to them.
 
#6 ·
For generics and my vet's vet clinic is her truck, so her cost is fairly low, it's around $100-$125 per horse for both legend and adequan.
When you're doing brand name and using a "regular" vet it can get up to $250 per horse for both.
You really need to talk to your vet because it's going to be different everywhere. Some vets also don't carry the generics, so you need to get and store the drugs yourself.

Good luck!
 
#7 ·
My vets all recommended MSM for an oral supplement. Believe me I've spoken with many vets about this. Some oral supplements do work although there needs to be more research done because quite of few supplements cannot be absorbed in the GIT.

I have my old mare on the SmartPak Senior Flex and after a month I've noticed a pretty big difference. It has several ingredients that have some research showing a positive effect on pain management. What Anebel suggested is probably the most effective, but the cost can be prohibitive for some people. But I complete agree that you should be talking to your vet not the feed store. Most of them have little education in nutrition or health beyond what their vendors give them. There are exceptions, those that go above and beyond to find out what really works, but they aren't really common. JMO
 
#8 ·
...This is really hard. I geuss I can continue with the B-L Pellets for now. I just left a message for my vet to call me back. I am sure they'll have to come out for an exam before the would prescribe anything. I'm not willing to put him down yet, I think he's still in "fight mode" so ... I geuss I have one that needs her teeth floated so I'll just make her appointment and get him looked at as well.

What are thoughts on a chiro?
 
#9 ·
Treating arthritis in horses is best dealt with in a multi-modality approach: exercise, anti-inflammatories, joint supplements and injectible joint therapies. You can choose the modalities needed to get your horse relief for his specific problem.

As much daily turnout as possible is the first place to start. This is very important for arthritic horses because standing still leads to stiffness. Motion helps keep joints moving freely.

Bute used as needed for pain can be done safely. The risk of adverse reactions is based upon the dose given, so giving the minimum amount necessary to control inflammation will provide relief for your horse without un-necessary risk. Just like you taking aspirin or ibuprofen for pain, you don't just take it--you take only what you need. Bute provides anti-inflammatory action for 24 hours after a single dose, so you don't necessarily have to give it every 12 hours. And studies showed that there was no more benefit from giving more than 2 grams of bute per day, so there is no need to give high doses to get relief. You may need to give no more than 1 gram of Bute every other day or even only when you know your horse is going to be worked and may need extra pain relief. And anti-inflammatories don't just "mask pain" they actually treat pain and can help prevent further arthritic changes in the joints which are caused by the body responding to pain and laying down more bone.

Oral glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have been proven effective in a study performed by the AAEP. However, the amount of glucosamine necessary to show benefit is generally higher than that in most over-the-counter supplements. 10g of glucosamine per day is considered the therapeutic dose for the average adult horse.

Injectible products like Adequan IM can give great results in arthritic horses and after the initial month of loading doses often costs no more than a month's supply of oral joint supplements. So for the cost, it can give bigger bang for your buck and is something you might want to consider. And if the pain is significant you could even go to joint injections to treat inflammation and provide lubrication directly to the joint that is the problem. But the cost is often prohibitive for a pasture puff.
 
#10 ·
He is turned out 24-7 with a stall that opens to the outside when the weather is nice, if the weather is icky then he comes into a stall that is rubber floored for the night. He has severe arthritis, he is not at all sound to ride. He also has something neoroligical going on as he's "wobbly in the backend". The vets have seen him, it's been going on for a few years now. This last week he's been a little confused but that happens every now and then and he usually snaps out of it. But he's been much more sore then usual and that has me concerned. I'd like to get him comfortable...
 
#12 ·
Giving bute and it's possible side effects is the least of your worries, so I would go ahead with that if your vet has said it's ok. If the "wobbly" is related to arthritic changes in the spine, then Bute may also provide some relief there. And if you can afford it going with Adequan IM may provide quite a bit of benefit without a huge outlay of cash.
 
#13 ·
My vet called back and said to give the bute for pain management (2 grams daily) while I need it, which USUALLY is only a few days and then I can drop it. She said the B-L wasn't going to do me much good and that the bute will help w/ any inflamation in the neck caused by arthritis, which is what makes him wobbly in the back end. She also said the severe soreness in the front end is more likely because I'm a week over due for the farrier (he stood me up). With his ringbone he can't afford to have his toes too long. And of course the slick yucky mud isn't helping... SO... bute and farrier is number one priority and then I'm going to make an appt. for Beauty to get her teeth floated and a check up for Black. We are also going to discuss a chiropractor. She said the injections would probably be very helpful although costly, about 300 for the first month (I think she said four shots at first) and then around fourty every month after that so after the initial month it's not that bad. She did say we'd know if it was going to be worth it after that first month. Also suggested something with a glucosomine...

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll let you know how things go....
 
#14 ·
There is also a product called Myristol that is great for joint issues. I have seen horses that after being on this product stop joint injections. Ask your vet about it.

Also if your concerned about the bute and adverse affects...you can give Sucralfate when giving Bute, it settles the stomache, and helps aid in settleing enzymes and acid in stomache that may be increased with long term Bute use. (again talk w/your vet but we often prescibe sucralfate when prescibing bute)

And I agree every other day with Bute is more than likely going to work for you in this instance
 
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